Friendship, dating or romance scams have steadily increased over the last few years. Scammers trick victims into believing they have developed a real relationship or friendship over the internet – often making the victim believe they have found their perfect partner – when in reality the person behind the screen is not who they say they are.

Scammers can go to great lengths to ensure their victims trust the fraudster and are emotionally invested in the online relationship or friendship. Then once they believe this trust is formed, they begin convincing their victims to send them money, using reasons that wouldn’t cause a trusting victim to become suspicious. For example, these criminals often claim they need help for urgent medical care or towards transport to visit the victim if they live far away.

These types of scams are incredibly malicious, not only stealing a victim’s money but also causing significant emotional distress following the manipulation. Working with international investigators at Victims of Fraud, we can help victims to track down fraudsters and recover funds.